LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – According to intelligence sources and a security expert, the recent kidnapping of over 130 students in Kaduna State was orchestrated by at least three terrorist groups operating from Zamfara State.
Premium Times reports that the mastermind behind the abduction was Yellow Janbros, a top commander with no prior experience in mass abductions, analysts confirmed.
Other prominent kingpins, Dogo Gide and Halilu Sububu, also played crucial roles in the operation.
“Yellow Janbros, despite his lack of experience, believed staging a mass abduction would be easy, however, their plans were complicated by the presence of military operatives attempting to rescue the students,” said security expert, Yahuza Getso, who told Premium Times that he had participated in 84 negotiations [and succeeded in only one] for the release of kidnap victims, told this newspaper.
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The security expert, who is also the Managing Director of Eagle Integrated Security and Logistics Company Ltd in Abuja, added that Mr Janbros and his gang were disturbed by the military operatives who were trailing them “to rescue the kidnapped students.”
Fortunately for the terrorists, they managed to successfully whisk away the students while Dogo Gide and his group engaged in a fierce battle with the operatives.
Dogo Gide’s involvement in the operation was due to an agreement in which some of the kidnapped students would be given to him.
For any mass abduction and negotiation to be successful in the North-west and North-central, Dogo Gide must be involved,” Mr Getso explained, expressing concerns over Mr Gide’s notoriety.
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The students were initially kept under Yellow Janbros’ custody in Dan Gurgu forest before being transferred to Halilu Sububu in Bawar Daji forest.
However, it is believed that Dogo Gide did not take the students to his camp and instead kept them under Janbros’ custody.
The kidnappers demanded a hefty ransom of N1 billion for the release of the students. While the federal government claimed that troops rescued the students, Governor Uba’s statement suggested otherwise.
He emphasised that the most important thing was the safe return of the children, regardless of whether a ransom was paid or not.
Contrary to official statements, reliable sources confirmed that a ransom was indeed paid.
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Witnesses reported seeing unidentified mediators driving into Dangabji in SUVs and covered Hilux vans to meet with the bandit groups.
The ransom, arranged in Ghana-must-go bags, was handed over to the armed bandits who later split into separate groups and left with the money.
Witnesses observed the convoy of vehicles used to deliver the ransom and evacuate the students from the community.
While security expert Yahuza Getso discourages ransom payments, he acknowledged that it is rare for money not to be involved in such cases.
He mentioned that negotiations sometimes involve the exchange of incarcerated terrorists for kidnap victims, although he doubts the government currently tolerates such arrangements.
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According to him, a similar condition was given by terrorists who kidnapped students from Federal University Gusau, but “the government declined, and that is why they are still keeping some of them.”
The students regained freedom last Sunday, two weeks after their abduction.
The school authority earlier estimated their figures to be 287, but the state governor, Uba Sani, later contradicted them, insisting the students kidnapped were 137.
A teacher was also kidnapped but died in the custody of the terrorists.
Premium Times